CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A 45-year-old man is facing federal theft charges related to a data breach at the University of Northern Iowa. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports Bernard Ogie Oretekor has been charged with theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. More than 100 UNI employees reported having their tax returns rejected in 2014 because someone had fraudulently filed a return on their behalf and collected their refund. Oretekor is currently facing charges in California related to the theft of $312,115 from a couple’s investment account.
WINTERSET, IA (IRN) – The State Medical Examiner’s Office ruled a 33-year-old Madison County Jail inmate’s death was a suicide. Joshua Lee Barker of Winterset was found unresponsive in his cell on January 6th. Barker was arrested January 3rd during a traffic stop and officers seized over 200 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia from his car. Barker hung himself with a towel.
CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A sport utility vehicle crashed through the front of a Cedar Falls nail salon Sunday afternoon. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the vehicle broke through the door and adjacent glass wall before coming to a stop inside the shop. No one was injured and Cedar Falls police are investigating the crash.
BOXHOLM, IA (IRN) – Four members of a family in Boxholm, a small community about an hour northwest of Des Moines, perished in a house fire Sunday. KCCI-TV reports 27-year-old Amber Sorenson, 9-year-old Riley, 6-year-old Autumn, and 4-year-old Brayden died. The father, John Sorenson, was at work when the fire broke out.
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is facing multiple charges after police say he assaulted and seriously injured an officer Sunday afternoon. KCRG-TV reports the officer was talking to 33-year-old Nathan Brocks when Brocks punched the officer, knocking him unconscious. The officer fell and hit his head on a cement parking barrier. Brocks continued to fight and resist arrest other officers, who used a Taser to subdue him. The officer was hospitalized, and Brocks faces numerous charges. He’s in jail.
MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A suspect has been identified in an officer-involved shooting Friday in Muscatine. WHO-TV reports a blue Hummer was reported stolen, and shortly later, the vehicle was located and a traffic stop initiated. After the stop in a parking lot, the Hummer driven by 41-year-old Timothy Seefeldt attempted to leave the scene and struck several vehicles, including one law enforcement vehicle. A deputy shot him. He’s in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
DES MOINES (IRN) – Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, when America celebrates the legacy of Dr. King and the civil rights movement. WOI-TV reports events across the state are being held in commemoration, including a prayer breakfast on the Drake University campus and a special ceremony with Governor Branstad at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.